MLB's first weekend of interleague play saw over a 42%
increase in attendance compared to the home team's average
attendance through Sunday, June 8. See #25 for a team-by-
team breakdown of interleague attendance.
REAX: In Atlanta, Mark Bradley, on interleague play:
"The only question about this interleague endeavor is
whether it arrived too late to save a sagging enterprise.
... It felt different, and in this case different is
decidedly good" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/15). In Montreal,
Jack Todd: "It's too early to tell how this is going to
work, but it did seem there was a little extra buzz in the
crowd" (Montreal GAZETTE, 6/14). In N.Y., Joel Sherman
wrote under the header, "Baseball Needs More Than Gimmicks."
Sherman: "Sure, this weekend, the innovation means sellouts.
But how about in three or four years when the interleague
novelty dissipates?" Sherman added the "quest" of MLB
owners should not be "to conceive more temporary bandages to
cover the wounds, but to somehow get the message out to fans
that the game is worth their time and money" (N.Y. POST,
6/14). In Houston, Alan Truex: "The possibilities of
interleague commerce seem endless. Its introduction to
America is going so well, it's hard to believe Bud Selig and
cohorts could have conceived and planned it" (HOUSTON
CHRONICLE, 6/15). In Sunday's N.Y. TIMES, NBC commentator
Bob Costas was featured in a Q&A on interleague play and
realignment. Costas: "Baseball is in trouble now mostly
because of the sheer bungling of the owners and the short
sightedness and selfish agendas of the owners and players
both. ... Now we are supposed to accept unquestioningly the
prescriptions for recovery offered by those who created the
mess in the first place?" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/15).
RAIN IN FL: Rain marred the Yankees-Marlins series in
Florida. In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Joseph writes that
"despite horrible weather," fans at Pro Player Stadium
weren't notified that Saturday's home game would be
cancelled until 1:12am ET. Joseph: "That was more than an
hour after officials knew of the cancellation and began
negotiating a way to make up the game. Nice way to treat
the paying customer, huh?" The Marlins made up the game
with a split doubleheader on Sunday (SUN-SENTINEL, 6/16).
FAY AT SHEA: Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent
attended the Red Sox-Mets game on Saturday. It was his
first game since he was present at the Mets' opening-day
game in '93 (Bergen RECORD, 6/15). Vincent, on attending
his first game since '93: "I didn't want to come when there
was labor trouble. I wasn't going to come until there was a
contract" (Steve Serby, N.Y. POST, 6/15).
TAKING ON BORAS: Phillies President Bill Giles "is
seriously considering filing a grievance with the
commissioner's office over agent Scott Boras' contention
that his client, J.D. Drew, the Phils' No. 1 draft pick,
received financial offers from other teams before the
draft," according to Jim Salisbury of the PHILADELPHIA
INQUIRER. Giles, who said the team will investigate, added,
"I don't believe him, not at all. ... There is no way a team
is supposed to make an offer to a player without first
having the rights to that player" (PHILA. INQUIRER, 6/15).
On ESPN's "The Sports Reporters," Bill Conlin, on Boras'
negotiating tactics: "For every wealthy flop, notably the
Yankees' Brien Taylor, there are dozens of kids low-balled
by clubs who have squandered their signing budgets on a
Boras client. Scott Boras should be the poster boy of an
ailing industry" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 6/15).
